Anemone fasciculata.

The main goal of the work is to complete the Important Plant Areas of Armenia (IPAs) identification started in 2003 and to prepare their final list. This will be done by assessment of the available data, updates, new data collection and expertise to select the most important sites for conservation of plant diversity of Armenia matching the three following criteria: A - the site represents a significant population of one or more rare and/or endemic species; B - the site has an exceptionally rich flora; C - the site represents an outstanding example of a rare/threatened habitat type.

The status of each IPA will be determined using the “Identifying Important Plant Areas. A Site Selection Manual for Europe” produced by Plantlife International in 2002. All the necessary data on each of the target sites (site description, botanical significance, general habitat description, land use type, threatened species related data, threats etc.), collected during the previous projects and obtained in the completion phase will be updated, edited and put in special electronic form to join the European IPA online database http://www.plantlife.org.uk/international/wild_plants/IPA/ipa_online_database/ .

The education component of the project will include trainings (lectures and field trips) for local conservationists in Ijevan, Amasia, Stepanavan and Kapan towns. The participants will receive general information on plant diversity of Armenia with the focus on their own region; the local IPAs will be introduced and they will be shown how to get involved in the monitoring of the threatened plant species and ecosystems of their area. Publication and distribution of a leaflet and botanical calendar, consultations, presentations, online reports and paper publication will help to share the project results and to attract attention on the importance of conservation of the plants and habitat diversity of the country. Another goal of the work is preparation of recommendations on monitoring, conservation and sustainable management of the selected IPAs to be submitted to the decision makers. We also plan to build new links through identification of local partners for further collaboration in the sphere of the IPA monitoring and implementation of other educational programs in the future.

The project activities and results will contribute to implementation of the Target 5 (to protect and conserve the most important areas for plants) of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC).